3 in 5 consumers around the world would be interested in shopping at a fully automated “self service” store with vending machines and kiosk stations offering a virtual customer service, according to a new study from Cisco. With check-out often a pain point for in-store shoppers, the study finds that 52% of respondents prefer using self-check-out stations so as to avoid waiting in line to make purchases, with that figure rising to 57% among 18-29-year-olds and 55% among 30-49-year-olds.
The data also illustrates that many consumers are happy to exchange personal data for more personal customer service, a finding that aligns with prior research from MyBuys and the e-tailing group. Specifically, according to the latest study:
- 49% are ok with retailers collecting their personal information when shopping online in exchange for more personalized recommendations and customer service;
- 39% would divulge their personal income for more personalized service, discounts and sales promotions; and
- 54% are willing to have retailers store their purchase history for more personalized service.
Interestingly, while one-quarter of respondents are OK with retailers sharing personal information about them to vendors in exchange for more personalized services, and another 10% don’t care, they’re hesitant to believe that their data is well protected, at least by clothing retailers.
Other Findings:
- 54% of respondents said they use mobile phones in-store, but only half of those use retail mobile applications.
- Retail apps are most often used to check prices (56%), find sales/discounts/coupons (53%), scan barcodes (48%), and review consumer product reviews (45%).
- One-third of respondents use multiple channels for shopping. 23% recently made in-store purchases after researching online, while 11% purchased online after seeing the item in a retail store.
- 94% of consumers expect a personal response when they report a customer service issue via social media, with email (68%) and a phone call (46%) the most commonly expected responses.
About the Data: The Cisco Customer Experience Report surveyed 1,511 consumers across 10 countries.